High-speed counter mechanism



Feb. 2, 1954 E. DAwsoN 2,658,013

HIGH SPEED COUNTERMECHANISM Filed April 2o, 195o l. llllnl BY M M ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 2, 1954 HIGHS-SPEEDY COUNTER' MECHNISM' EdwardDawson; NewsYork, N. Y., assigner to.1`hel Sperry Corporation; Great Neck, N. YJ, a corporation vof Delaware This' invention' relates-v generally' to' a counter mechanism.. and' has reference more'particularly' to al counter-mechanism' capable of`being drivenY at-` extremely high counting'- speeds.

Theefcounter' mechanism of f theL present invene tion= is' of thev type whichv employs' a series" of number dials" which may bevcontinuouslyro'-i no" repetitions" shock" common" to 'the intermittent' transfer" type oi'E counter; The' intermittent" transfer'type of Geneva' type' counter'mech'anism' is" limited' to" counting' speeds on the order4 of one thousand rotations per minute` because ci" the shock;V created'by'a rapidly rotating elementu suddenly engaging a. stationary` element: On the;

other hand, the counter of the' presentiinven'- tion' employingicontinuous gearing can bev driven many thousand rotations per minute because there no rapidly moving memberr suddenly engaginga stationary` member,v since theinter'- connecting gearingA rotates all' of' the members,

simultaneously but' at different' speeds, .depending upon the number: system-for which the counter isA designed; However, there being continuous gearingbetweenthe number dial`s,the numbers" appearing. thereon` will' allLv line upV to present` denite readings only at certain predetermined intervals. depending upon` the. gearing ratios.

Therefore, reference to any dial ofthe counter,

wouldat most. any instant, show afnumber'appreaching.4 and a number. departing. whereby reading of; the dials` vvould be confusing, es

peciallyI wheres a' series of' dialsis.- to be: read. By my invention: I oyercome this' difiicultyfby providingadetent apparatus which, when operative; automatically; lines' up: the'- numbers.- on'` thedials: in readout position so4 as tov present to..fan.:observer' an 'unambiguous indication; rihus', i

the; present; invention: overcomes.' confusion' aris.-

ingsfrom non=alignmentof fnumbers` by providing ai. detent; arrangement' at.'A the dials-y so i thatY when'a the; detentszare:` engaged; the: numbers` appearing on=v the individualnumeral'. dials' indicate'F unambiguously'. the v actual reading" of" the counter;

The'J counter4 off my invention may advan'-A tageously v'be A employed in computer' mechanisms wherein'y it is desi-red"n to' count'l and/or presenti an' indication of the' number" of? rotations'N ofi af- Of'r' the" data input' sha-ftf to'4 the computer:

2. counter.- may beusedfto'determine the quantity off fluid iiowingx through` a conduit or.V the total number-1 of rotations of'the'shaft of an' engine or the'like.' Ofil necessity, theseshaft rotations mustl be extremely accurate" and' also must. be

set intoethe computer as'fast aspossible. The: counterfo the-present inventionA isv ideally suited for' Suchey dev-ice: because itmay be slewed from one' setting to another setting atextremely 'high rates ofrspeed; and by meansof the :detent mechanisms; the--rotationalzposition of thedata shaft may' be' set. with extreme' accuracy. Another system in' which" the counter mechanismY oi` my invention may be'very v'advantageously employed is in aLoran navigation equipment' whereinY numeral indications: are' employed` for" designating the' position ofY a craft relative* to 'at pair' of ref` erence points;

Therefore; the principal' object of myinven'- tion is't'o provide an" improvedv counter mecha'nism'v capable of' counting the' number of` rotationsvof a data; sha'ftatlt an` extremely high rate of speed:

Another object' off' my invention'is to provide such a' counter mechanism which employs a sequence'of' number' dials each being rotated by continuous gearing connected therebetween.

A' further ob'ject of thepresent invention is to provide such a counter mechanism in which there" is'provided a'- detent apparatus'for each numeral member operablev to present an unambiguous reading of the numerals thereon.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a counter mechanism capable of being sleWed from one setting` to another setting at an' extremely high speed and'having cam-con trolled detentv arrangements to present an unambiguous reading' thereof;

Another object of my invention is to provide a. counter mechanism in which a low speed counter'may be drivenA by a high speed counter and in which the' numerals of' the low speed counter 'may be'align'ed by thev detent mechanism of the high speed counter Without excessive shock.'

Further objects and advantages of my'inven'-` tion will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof' when read in view of the accompanying drawing which illustrates a' preferred forni'V oi my invention, wherein:

Fig. 1l is' a schematic perspective view' of' a' counter' mechanism embodying the 'principles' of my invention: and

Fig- Z''iSTa-modiicaton of the detent actuating apparatusf-illustratedi in' Fig-- 1'.

The counter illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings is a tens counter, that is, the numeral dials or members being calibrated in numbers from to 9 and the numeral numbers indicating from right to left, units, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc. As above stated, it is possible to calibrate the numeral members in any number system desired. However, the tens numeral system has been illustrated as a very practical example and to simplify a complete understandingT of my invention. Of course, if a different number system be employed it is necessary Vto alter the shape or contour of the detent members and the cam surface of the cam for controlling the detent members.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawing, I have illustrated a base ten counter having a plurality of rotatably supported numeral members of lower and higher order; a units member I0, a tens member II, a hundreds member I2, a thousands member I3, and a ten thousands member I4. A slewing motor I is provided for slewing the numeral members rapidly from one setting to another. However, it will be noted that I have applied the principles of my invention only between the units member I0, the tens member I I, and the hundreds member I2 because of the high reduction in the speed of rotation between the members in this selected number system. For example, let us suppose that the slewing motor I5 drive the units or low order numeral member I0 at ten thousand rotations per minute. This would mean that the tens numeral member II would be driven at one thousand rotations per minute. If, then, an intermittent transfer type counter were employed between members I I and I2, as it is between members I2 and I3, the cutaway transfer pinion between II and I2 corresponding to pinion 36 between I2 and I3 would be driven at 1,000 rotations per minute for one tenth of one complete rotation of the member I2. Thus, the pinion must accelerate from zero R. P. M. to 1,000 R. P. M. substantially instantaneously. Acceleration of this magnitude, when rapidly repeated, may be expected to cause undue noise, wear, and early damage to the mechanism, even though its parts are made as small and light as practicable. Therefore, I have employed this type of counter only at the low speed end of the counter mechanism. Such intermittent transfer counters can very easily be driven at speeds below 1000 R. P. M. Therefore, in the present embodiment I have illustrated the thousands, and ten thousands numeral members of the counter as being operated by a conventional intermittent transfer type counter mechanism and the tens and hundreds numeral members as being operated by my novel counting mechanism.

In describing the counter mechanism of my invention I will rst set forth the gearing connection between numeral members I0, II and I2 when the slewing motor I5 is energized. Slewing motor I5 is energized by closing the slewing switch I6 which supplies current from a suitable source I'I to the control winding I0 of the motor. Simultaneously, however, current is also supplied to a solenoid I9 which operates to render the detent arrangement inoperative. A data shaft 20 is connected by suitable gearing 2|, 22 to the member I0 so that the data shaft 20 and numeral member I0 will be driven simultaneously and preferably in a 1:1 ratio. The counter will therefore indicate the exact number of rotations of the data shaft 20. If the slewing motor I5 be `-deenergized, it is possible for the shaft 20 to be rotated manually through handle 40. When the slewing motor I5 is deenergized, the solenoid I9 will also become deenergized and therefore permit engagement of the detent apparatus to thereby present an unambiguous reading of the numbers on the numeral members. Under these conditions it may be necessary to further rotate shaft 20 by hand in one direction or the other in order to obtain a precise or desired setting of the counter mechanism.

Numeral member I 0 which is rotatably mounted on a shaft 'I supported by the frame 3 of the counter mechanism meshes with gear 22 having an extension 23 which carries a smaller gear 24. Gear 22, extension 23, and gear 24 are integral and are mounted to rotate on a suitable supporting shaft 8 fixed to the frame 0. Gear 24 in turn, meshes with a gear 25 rotatably supported on a shaft 26 in the housing and has mounted integrally therewith another gear 2l. Gear 2l in turn, meshes with still another gear 20 rotatably supported on shaft 0. Gear 20 has an arcuate slot 29 cut therein and adapted to receive a pin 30 which is supported on a gear BI on shaft 8 so that pin 30 engages either end of slot 29 to rotate the gear 3| as gear 20 rotates. The pin and slot construction constitutes a conventional lost motion connection between the member I 0 and the member I I when the detent apparatus is operative. Also, the pin and slot connection provides a slight backlash in the gear train necessary for an unambiguous indication of the counter, to be more fully described below. However, when the detent apparatus is disengaged, the pin and slot provides a positive driving connection from one end of the gear reduction train to the other, i. e., between gears 22 and 3l. Gear 3| is connected directly to the tens numeral member Il rotatably mounted on shaft 'I supported in the housing. The ratio of the gearing between numeral members I0 and II are so selected that the numeral member II rotates once for every ten rotations of member I0. For eX- ample, in the construction illustrated, by providing a 1:1 ratio between gears 22 and Ill, a 2:7 ratio between gears 24 and 25, a 7:20 ratio between gears 2'I and 28 and a 1:1 ratio between gears 3l and II, it will be seen that a 10:1 overall ratio is provided. These ratios, however, are purely exemplary and have been so selected as to enable the largest gears to be kept relatively small thereby reducing the overall size of the counter to a minimum.

The hundreds numeral member I2 is driven in the same manner as the tens member I I through gearing which has the same ratios as that between the units numeral member I 0 and the tens numeral member II. Thus, gear 3l has an extension 23 upon which gear 2li" is formed which unit is rotatably mounted on the shaft 3. Gear 24 meshes with gear 25 which has a gear 2 integral therewith, the gears 25 and 2 being rotatably mounted on supporting shaft 26. Gear 27' meshes with gear 28 in which is cut an arcuate slot 29' adapted to receive a pin 30 fixed to gear 3|. Gears 23 and 3I are independently rotatably mounted on shaft 0 in the same manner as gears 23 and 3l and the pin and slot connection therebetween serves the same function as above described with respect to pin and slot 29-30. Gear 3I directly meshes with the hundreds numeral member I2. The drive between numeral members I2, I3 and III is of the intermittent transfer type as above described. For this purpose member I2 has mounted at the end ,isomers 15 thereof 11a toothed portion 1135 which v"engages a lout away: gear vor pinion .23 t s .fonce in #every z, revolliition of .the1membe1"fi.-2. 'Therefore gearifis driveniatlilo-rotationsper minute forione tenth vof .oneurotation and vdrivestnuineral member 'i3 noorrespondingly, .at a speed .Well within :thesa- -pacity of intermittentfcounters of this type. Nu- --meral `lrneniher i Li. is'idriv en fromy numeralmemher I3 in the same manner.

aifheyoperation oftheidevice `as thus far dei-scribed` sasfiollows: lf it Visdesiredto slew the '1countermechanismiroin `one setting to Vanother resetting :in ga veryshort `time interval, kthe opfferatorrpresses"slewingfswitch it 'which energizes control Winding t8 lof 4the :slewing motor l5 through a suitable source of current i1. Atthe -sarnei'tim'errelay is operates to disengagethe f detent:mechanismlanci .numeral `member lil is rapidly .drivenby the'rnotor i5. Numeralrneinherliizdrives the :data shaft 2t through gears 2l ,and 2.2. 'Numeral member le continually ro- :tates numeral vmember irl throughr gears i272, .fl, 121,28, pin and :slot .connection 29 andll and gear 3l but at vone-tenth'the speed thereof.

,Nunieralrnemher l2 is-sirnilarly driven through :gearing 2li/,525', 521, 28', pin and slot conneci'tionv 2S', ,35' vand gear 3i.

.Howeven asthe numbers at the high yorder end ofthecountermechanism are rotating relativelylslowly, they may be easily read as the :motor "151 rapidlyndrivesmernher l t fand, yas they .approach-the desired setting, the operator-releases slewing switch iftherehy cleenergising'the :imotor i5. Simultaneously, current is nolonger supplied tosolenoid lf3. andthe detent apparatus'is permitted to operate, in a' manner to be described, to v*provide an Aunambiguous :reading 'of `thecounter zat :the time the `motor it is -cleenerl.g-ized. However, when the .motor :l5 Acorn-es rto rest,.the reading of theioounter :may vnot betenactly the reading desired, in which oase it `may he necessar to rotate the counter mechanism tofthedesirecl readout position through ar manu- .al setting control. This is accomplished 'by pro- .vicling .a oranlQMi which loperates lthrough `a v.nere yf'nially open clutching device 'lli 'which when ypressed..inwardly,manually rotates the ishaft'ii throughsuitable bevel gearing lli?.

"The detent device which, when engaged, pirovides .an unambiguous indication of the inurnher -of rotations of theldatashaft will new be described. 4'Supported on or integrally formedwith thegear (il is adetent member 45 which,fin the case of the tens counter illustrated, `is in the for of a starcarn .having ve crests and `ve valleys, just one-half the number of digits appearing on the numeral members. 'lhe Adetent fineniher rotated, as ivillbe described, through a'precleterinined angle equal to one `tenth of `one yrotation -oithe member il by a rst pair of cietent actuating .members or levers fit Vand lill. These inenioers derive their driving force or `driving pressure from -a spring $8 connected rhe trveenlthe upper enols of a second pair or levers, `horca-iter referred to cam follower levers "$9 and 5l! which are mounted generally parallel to s and integral with the levers i6 and d1, respectively. These pairs of levers are rotatably mounted. on shafts 5l and 52 supported yin the housing of the counter, and. theintegral connection between members Al and 69, and 4.1 and '5t is Aprovided by sleeves 53 and. ISili hrazed or welded therebetween. The upper ends or levers fG and -41 are provided with rollersor `wheels -55..-;and- 56, respectively, to provide a rollingtconltact, Whenr1aotuatedibetween;thezdetent :member afrit :and rlevers Asians =l\'ffovement of 'zthe lever-5x49 andi 5B, and thereiiiore the drivingmoveinent :of 1' the :resp ectivesdetent.;actuating;:levers i462 'and-'41,` is :controlled by cam ':-.'51.. 'Rotation of the cam is `:provided `threugh.gear 5& integrally? formed` therewith aand ifotatahlysmountedlon shaft iiwhich geariamesh- 'sesiwithaa' gearrzfoimed on'slthe extension 4'.23 ibetweeingears 222 'andZl lfnltwo to onewgear ratio is,provioedlbetweenfgears 59.'.and358sso 'that' cam #51 will: rotate :one half a L complete. rotation for every complete :zrotation v of :member 1| 0 thereby u :providing: a'vef toone 'ratioibetweencam L51 fand A cause the lever 49 is'heldoutby.the'highfportion ozthe'zcaini 51. ,Si-niilarlygthe lever1'41xis held in 'the Lidiarnetrically iopposite valley .'of the xdetent wheel-feit v:due :to lthe iifact that :spring 2'48 causes :lever 5&1torrotateinwardly,againstithe low por- '-:tionioftthecamLS'l, l'Iheflevers willrernain in lthis position:foronefhalf of Oneompleterotation of the cam 51. 4However;'forfthexnext half Arotation theifopposite'zsequence foceurs. That is, Ithe'carnl follower 49 fontleverill is Araised to the high :portion of thecanrsST. Tnisimpartsopposite rotation poi". the fleversl r VVand'lifand `there- A.forel-levers "iancilll, The 'idetent Wheeli45 is ,then'rotatedrorydriverribyY 'actuating wheel Y55 on 'thefzupperendio leverff'll through'the pressure applied 1 thereto bys spring 48. Simultaneously, the Wheel-:W6 zon'the 4endo'f the lever A1 is forced i outwardlybyV rotation v`of `.the-'cam ollower lever 'it as the FioliloiverfSlVthereofvis raised by the r high portion of thezcam-z'51.

The rotary: motion wofcdetentmember S45, howf'evenfmustibo-initiatedaand the initiation must he: inthei'properdireotion. flFor this purposalthe :p: Yaird'slst connection '129, 33t vbetween gear 28 C113! isrprovidecl. lAsthe numeral member lil isrrotated :rotation isliinparted, through gearing :215, .225,an`d 2"i,if,tofgear 28. Suchrotation of gear VV218 engages one pendfof .:thei slot Ril 'with the pin llf ich. engagement 1initiates:rotation in the proper -zdirectionof the "detent rnemher 45. The islet 2i); subtends ananglewhich is smaller .than the anglebetiveensuc'cessive `members on the numeralimemberll for' twoA reasons. In the first place,f theslot irnust 'ber :long :enough to` `col/ripensaterfor :the diam-eters `Cif-the rpinlt. In ther'second'plaeeLthe slot 29 :must `be slightly smaller than ithe `tangle betvveen fsuocessive numbers on the numeral member infsorder to initiate :notion of fthe numeral-:member inv the 'proper direction just prior to thetheoretcal'rtime at which the sh-iftfi-reni one :numeralftothe other numeral oc- -zcurs Such A'construction makes.. it. impossible for 4vthefd'e'tent'sfito A:becomepoised. on dead center. .This construction fis tnecessary eventthough a 'slightzniisali'gnment. .oflthe numeral memberv may occur 1iustffbeoreand 'justafter it is shifted by Athe detent mechanism. zlsloweverythis motion is fso fslight .that the :indication-'presented :by Athe =-connter `,inchanism is snot zmateriallyeiected. .Thus Sthef fslight motion imparted to `the detent fmember 145 just: heforethe :shift T,occurs 'insures that as the levers 49 or 50 drive the detent member 45, by the action of spring 48, in the proper direction, and the rotation thereof by the levers will continue through a predetermined angle, that is, an angle slightly less than the angle between one crest and the adjoining valley of the detent member 45. Since the slot 28 is slightly less than the angle between one crest and the adjacent Valley of the detent member 45 the rol- 1ers 55 or 56 on the levers 49 or 50 may not immediately lie exactly in a valley. However, continued rotation of the gear 28 and therefore slot 29, will allow a slight rotation of the detent member 45 by the levers 49 or 55 so that the shift from one digit on the numeral member to the next will be complete. Each crest of the detent wheel 45 coincides with an odd digit of the numeral member I I and each valley corresponds to an even digit; that is, of course, with respect to the cam actuator or lever 45. The opposite applies with respect to the actuator lever 41. The cam 51, having a 2:1 ratio relative to member I5, determines whether an odd or even numeral is presented on the numeral member I I. The angular position of the cam 51 relative to numeral member I is so adjusted that as the member I I! rotates from digit 9 to digit 0 the cam will rotate the levers 49 and 50 to thereby rotate detent actuator or drive levers 46 and 41, which will, in turn, through detent member 45, rotate numeral member II to present the next digit thereon in readout position.

The operation of the detent mechanism of the counter of my invention will now be described. Let us suppose that the slewing switch I6 is on and the slewing motor I is in operation. Upon release of the switch I5, motor I5 stops and. solenoid I9 is deenergized. Such deenergization will disengage the conical lever disengaging member 5i! formed on the end of the armature of the solenoid I9 from the extensions 6I on the levers 46 and 41 and allow levers 45, 49 and 41, 50 to rotate on their supporting shafts 5I, 52, respectively. The levers will be forced to rotate towards each other through the action of spring 48. The cam 51, in the instantaneous position illustrated, allows the lever 50 through its follower to rotate lever 41. Lever 41 through roller 55 will then rotate or drive the detent wheel 45, which rotation has been initiated in the proper direction by engagement of the slot 29 with the pin 35, to the position shown, that is, rotate until the wheel 55 reaches a valley. Simultaneously, lever 45 is held adjacent the crest of the cam wheel 45 because the cam follower on lever 49 rests on the high portion of the cam 51. Assuming the rotation of the numeral member I0 be in such a direction as to cause cam 51 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, the following action will take place. The cam follower of lever 49 will fall to the low portion of the cam 51 and the cam follower of the lever 50 will be raised by camming action to the high portion of the cam 51. This action will occur simultaneously. At the same time, gear 28 will rotate in a clockwise direction and the upper end of the slot 25 will engage the pin '35 and initiate rotation of the detent wheel 45 in a clockwise direction just before the shift from one numeral to the other is to occur. Then, as the cam follower cf lever 49 drops to the low portion of the cam 51, lever 48 will rotate the cam wheel 45 through roller 55, until the wheel 55 reaches the valley adjacent the crest upon which the wheel 55 previously rested. Similarly, and at the same time.

the follower of lever 50 will be forced to the high portion of the cam 51. Such action will produce a rotation of lever 41 to thereby allow the crest on detent wheel 45 to rotate to a position opposite the wheel 5B. Such rotation of the detent wheel 45 will rotate the numeral member II to the next succeeding digit where it will remain until numeral member I0 makes the next complete rotation.

However, due to the high speed of the motor I5, the desired setting may not immediately be indicated upon deenergization of the motor. Therefore, it may be necessary to rotate the counter by hand or by operating the motor for short intervals until the desired setting is presented.

The numeral member I2 is positively positioned by a similar arrangement of levers. The detent member 45 between gear 28' and gear 3 I corresponds to detent member 45 and cam 51 corresponds to cam 51. However, for the sake of clearness, the levers associated with these cams have been omitted since they are identical with the levers just described.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings, there is illustrated a modification of the actuating means for the levers 46 and 41 of Fig. l. In this modification the detent actuating levers I4B and i741 are illustrated as being hydraulically or pneumatically controlled. Such a control would be applicable to a counter mechanism wherein there is an extremely high number of revolutions between the numeral member I5 and the numeral member II in which case the detent member will have a great many crests and valleys and hence, a very small but closely spaced detent action is required. In the modication cam 51 is replaced by an eccentric 1I) rotatably mounted on shaft I26 and rotated through suitable gearing at one half the speed of rotation of the numeral member il). The eccentric 1B operates, through a ring 1I and shaft 12, a control valve 13. Control valve 13 controls the flow of the fluid in conduits 14 and 15 to operate the actuating cylinder 1I5 in one direction or the other depending upon the angular position of the eccentric 10. The actuating cylinder 15 is connected to and rotates detenting levers I46, I41 on shafts I5I and 52, respectively. The operation of the modification shown in Fig. 2 is Ias follows. In the position shown, eccentric 1I) has translated actuator 12 to position Valve element 13 so that fluid under pressure is admitted to the conduit 15. The resulting increase in pressure in the right hand side of the cylinder 16 therefore causes a rotation of levers I46 and I41 in a counterclockwise direction. Thus, the wheel |56 on lever I41 will fall to a valley of the detent member |45 and in so doing will hold the numeral member associated therewith at a definite angular position. At the same time, the pressure in the right hand side of the cylinder 15 will hold the wheel I55 adjacent to a crest of the detent member |45. Rotation of eccentric 1I! through the next succeeding will cause valve element 13 to move in the opposite direction to a neutral position relative to the Valve parts. From this point only very slight angular movement of the eccentric 10 will open the control valve to cause fluid pressure to rapidly build up in the opposite side of the cylinder 16. Thus, the actuation of the lever members Illia` and I41 may be Very precisely controlled by small angular rotations of the eccentric 1D. As the pressure in the left hand side of the cylinder 16 increases the levers will rotate in the opposite direction. Such rotation 9 will produce--rot-ation-of detent member-2F45 untill wheelvx E-on leveri Mii-reachesi-the.nextfvalley whereupon it isl held'there byfthe continuedpre'sesure-or fluid in the left hand? side-ofthe cylinderI 16. Rotation ofthe memberv |545?- iS-initiated-as in-.the` mechanism above described;r through: piniandslot connection 29; i392 Disengagement of the detent: aotua'torf levers-y MB; and,` it' is eiiected'by a; conical-member 'I'S'ilf similar to the lever-disengaging memben @Si oi,- Fig.y iwhicb, up iin-actuation' thereoi'rby.' iudapres'isure'in the cylinder l. engages extensions imi torotate thelevers iian'd lfirl outwardlyuabout.

thepivots i 5 i2 and, 552i lluidpressinel is@ supplied; to cylinder 'ie forv operating., the member? iff through a control valve Se; and.' 8!` ist operativelyl coupled therew .igforfs-imultaneously removing :duid vpressureirom thevcontrolf valvey TS. Ii it is desired to. slew the counterf mechanism embodying-l izhe modification illus-f trated in 2, to a newv setting-,. the valves-tzt and 3G are actuated thereby toshut ori pressure to the control valve 'iii' andsimultaneously'toadmit iiuid under pressure Vto thel cylinderV 'ige Thereupon the element itisraised intoengage-V ment with the members iti which.y eilects.y dis-` engagement between the detent actuator levers. itt` and Uil and` the detent member; i231 Since many changes could be made inthe-above construction and-many apparently widely.y diier'- entembodiments of this invention could be-v made:` Without departing from: the scope-thereof, itisintended-that all matter contained in the above-- description or shown in the accompanying drawings snail be interpreted as illustrative andnot in a limiting sense.

What is ciaimed is:

l. A counter mechanism for presenting anindicationr of the number of rota-tionsl of' adata:v

diametrically opposite sides thereof, said detent member having a contour such that when drivenbysaid-levers therotation thereorwill be through predetermined angles whereupon unambiguousn indicationsor" the digits on saidv higher orden member will be presented; a cams'member rotatably connected-With said low order memberfor" determining the next appearing digit on said higher order member, cam follower members associated with said cam member and coupled with said actuator levers for cyclically rotating said levers into engagement with said detent member for driving the same step by step through said predetermined angles, coupling means between said low order member and'said detent member for initiating rotation of said detent member, and means for disengaging both of said detent-actuator levers and for simultaneously effecting continuous rotation of said high order member with rotation of said low order member through said coupling means.

2. A counter mechanism for presenting an indication of the number of rotations of a data member, a low order numeral member connected to rotate with said data member and a higher order numeral member adapted to be rotatably shutoff? Vahle;v

mechanismi tou-r such. that when driven by saidlevers the rotatiorrthereo'il will be through predeterminedangles.- whereupon unambiguous indications `of the digits on said` higher order member` will be presented, aA cam member rotatably connected'- with saidlow order member for determining the*- nefrt appearing digit onl said.v higher order mem-- ber; cam-follower members associated with said'- cam. member andlcoupled with said actuator-leviers-for oyclic'ally. rotating said leversl into-engagement with said -detent'- member for drivingthe same step byy step through said predetermined angles,v a pin and slot coupling' between.

saidzlow orderA member andfsaid-detent memberfor' initiating rotation of said detent member,

saidislotbeing of such-length as-to allow rotation of said-pin by said detent-actuator levers-- through sai-d. predetermined angles, and a dis-- engaging.V ca-mvengageable with said' levers.v for rotatingthe same inopposite directions-for efiecting.y disengagement between saiddetent` actuator levers and-said detent member, andmeans; for simultaneously actuating said disengaging cam. and effecting continuous rota-tionor said higher. order member with rotation of said-low order member through said--pinandislot coupling. 3. A counter mechanism-for presenting an i`n-- dlcation oi. the number of rotations of a datamember,. aY low* order numeral member connected' toi-rotate: with said. data mem-ber and" ahigher-- or -der numeralmember.- adaptedv to bel rotatably`r coupled-1 with' saidlowJ order member, a sta-rshap'ed .detent member having an odd numb er i oi crests and. valleys .connected to rotate sa-id higher order. member and a; detent-actuator mechanism*- lrespectively on.` diametrically- `opposite sides thereof, said detent member having acontour-l suchV that when rotatedl by said detent'actuator mechanism the rotation thereof will-'bethrough' predetermined angles whereupon unambiguousJ indications of the digits on said higher ordery member willi-be presented, asour-ceci?` fini-df under` pressure, valve means and means driven in timed relation with said low order member for operating said valve means whereby oyclically to vary the iluid pressure supplied to and the direction or operation of sai-d lever-actuating means, means driven in timed relation with said low order member for initiating rotation of said deu tent member, and means for effecting disengagement between said detent levers and said detent members and for simultaneously effecting continuous rotation of said high order member with rotation of said low order member.

4. In a counter device having a low order numeral wheel actuated by an input means and a higher order numeral wheel actuated by the input means at a predetermined ratio to the low order Wheel, the combination of a wheel aligning device comprising a lost motion connection in the actuating means of the higher order wheel 11 to permit limited movement of the wheel independently of the input means, and a detent device operable to effect such independent movement of the higher order Wheel to place the signicant numeral thereon in readout position, said detent device comprising a detent member in the actuating means of the higher order wheel to position the wheel within the limits of the lost motion connection, a pair of detent actuating members, and means to operate the detent actuating members by alternation during successive cycles of operation of the low .order Wheel.

5. In a counter device having a low order numeral Wheel actuated by an input means and a higher order numeral wheel actuated by the input means at a predetermined ratio to the low order Wheel, the combination of a Wheel aligning device comprising a lost motion connection in the actuating means of the higher order wheel to permit limited relative movement of the Wheel and the input means, and a detent device operable to effect such relative movement of the higher order Wheel to place the significant numeral thereon in readout position, said detent device comprising a detent member in the actuating means `of the higher order wheel to position the wheel within the limits of the lost motion connection, a pair of detent actuating members, and means to operate the detent actuating members by alternation during successive cycles of operation of the low order Wheel.

6. In a counter device having a low order numeral wheel actuated by an input means and a higher order numeral wheel actuated by the input means at a predetermined ratio to the low order Wheel, the combination of a Wheel aligning device comprising a lost motion connection in the actuating means of the higher order wheel to permit limited relative movement of the Wheel and the input means, and a detent device operable to eiect such relative movement of the higher order Wheel to place the significant numeral thereon in readout position, said detent device comprising a detent member in the actuating means of the higher order Wheel to position the wheel Within the limits of the lost motion connection, a pair of detent actuating members, and means actuated by the input means to operate the detent actuating members by a1- ternation during successive cycles yof operation of the W order wheel.

7. In a counter device having a low order numeral Wheel actuated by an input means and a higher order numeral Wheel actuated by the input means at a predetermined ratio to the 10W order Wheel, the combination of a wheel aligning 12 device comprising a lost motion connection in the actuating means of the higher order Wheel to permit limited relative movement of the wheel and the input means, and a detent device operable to effect such relative movement of the higher order Wheel to place the signicant numeral thereon in readout position, said detent device comprising a detent member in the actuating means of the higher order wheel to position the Wheel Within the limits of the lost motion connection, a pair of detent actuating members, and means actuated by the input means in timed relation to the actuation of the low order Wheel to operate the detent actuating members by alternation during successive cycles of operation of the low order Wheel.

8. In a counter device having a low order numeral Wheel actuated by an input means and a higher .order numeral wheel actuated by the input means at a predetermined ratio to the low order Wheel, the combination of a wheel aligning device comprising a lost motion connection in the actuating means of the higher order Wheel to permit limited relative movement of the Wheel and the input means, and a detent device operable to eect such relative movement of the higher order wheel to place the significant numeral thereon in readout position, said detent device comprising a detent member in the actuating means of the higher order Wheel to position the Wheel Within the limits of the lost motion connection and a pair of detent actuating members, the detent member having a number of detent positions equal to one-half the numeral positions on the higher order Wheel, the detent actuating members being arranged substantially oppositely with reference to the detent member whereby when one actuating member is aligned to engage a detent position the other is aligned between detent positions, and means actuated by the input means to operate the detent actuating members by alternation during successive cycles of operation .of the 10W 'order wheel.

EDWARD DAWSON.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,246,087 Gooch Nov. 13, 1917 1,913,983 Gardner June 13, 1933 2,089,682 Chase Aug. l0, 1937 2,298,343 Bugg Oct. 13, 1942 2,344,627 Mixer Mar. 21, 1944 2,456,101 Yeasting Dec. 14, 1948 

